Impact of Cisplatin Dosing Regimens on Mammary Tumor Growth in an Animal Model

BACKGROUND: We have recently introduced a modification of the seminal Simeoni model for tumor growth, the modification entailing the incorporation of delay differential equations into its formulation. We found that the modification was competitive with the Simeoni construct in modeling mammary tumor growth under cisplatin treatment in an animal model. METHODS: In our original study, we had two cohorts of animals: untreated, and treatment with bolus injection of cisplatin on day 0. We here explore how modifications in the cisplatin dosing scheme affect tumor growth in our model. RESULTS: We found that modest fractionation dosing schemes have little ultimate impact on tumor growth. In contrast, metronomic dosing schemes seem quite efficacious, and might yield effective control over tumor progression. CONCLUSIONS: With regard to cisplatin as single agent chemotherapy, a minimum level of drug for a prolonged period of time seems more critical than rapid achievement of a very high dose for a shorter time frame for deterring tumor growth or progression. Exploration of tumor dose schedules with mathematical models can provide valuable insights into potentially effective therapeutic regimens.